Missionaries’ dreams take flight

Friday

Aug 29, 2008 at 12:01 AMAug 29, 2008 at 1:40 PM

Millions unreached, none unreachable. That is the slogan for New Tribes Mission. And with a fleet of the latest aircraft designed for missionary and humanitarian work, they can go just about go anywhere.

Charis Patires

Millions unreached, none unreachable. That is the slogan for New Tribes Mission. And with a fleet of the latest aircraft designed for missionary and humanitarian work, they can go just about go anywhere.

Reaching people from all walks of life in all corners of the world is the goal for the thousands of missionaries in the field and the many others planning to embark on a spiritual journey. The biggest challenge is geography. But it is the hardest-to-reach areas they need to share their message the most.

If it wasn’t for advances in aviation, it might be impossible to educate tribes or establish churches in isolated villages and communities.

After years of working with a prototype, NTM has ordered 14 Kodiak planes to replace their existing Cessna aircraft. The new planes require a different type of fuel, can handle heavier loads and can get in an out of tighter spots, said Dave Meyers, director of development for NTM U.S. training.

“The training center is training the next generation of church planters,” Meyers said. “The Kodiak is the new aviation tool that is going to revolutionize missions to be able to do that. This is all about getting the gospel out around the world in a quicker fashion.”

Located west of Camdenton, Mo., the NTM training center is educating future missionaries in cross cultural language and “church planting.”

The pilots will leave the area in nine months to receive specialized international flight training.

For pilot Clif Huntting, it won’t be long before he’s behind the controls of the newest tool in aviation mission work. Currently studying at the training center in Camdenton, Huntting and his family will be headed overseas in about three years.

The Kodiak was designed by missionaries to handle the rough environment that missionary planes have to fly in, he said.

“Most of the time, we are operating in landing strips on the side of a mountain. If there’s grass, we’re lucky,” Huntting said.

Huntting, who grew up with missionary parents, says he is likely headed to Indonesia, where he will provide the transportation and deliver supplies for missionaries in the field.

“I will be working with logistics. I will (deliver) their mail, be their outside contact, their supplies, emergency evacuations, whatever they need,” he said. “The end goal for all of us here is to see people who have never heard the good news of the Gospel. The airplane helps missionaries do their job faster, it’s a step closer in that direction. It’s a big advancement.”

NTM’s training center is a 350- acre campus made up of 450 people that include faculty, staff, families and students. The property was developed in 1968 and was the organization’s language institute until 2004, when it became their official training center.